This is a captivating story that puts human faces on a difficult historical subject. It starts out in World War I Armenia, where Mikael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac) is a young apothecary who dreams of becoming a doctor. He agrees to an arranged marriage, planning to use his fianceé’s dowry to fund medical school. It’s not initially a love match, but Mikael honors his promise to marry even though he falls in love with Ana (Charlotte le Bon), an Armenian woman he meets while studying in Constantinople. Ana is in a relationship with Chris Myers (Christian Bale), an American reporter covering Turkish wartime atrocities against Armenians. Both men have deep feelings for her, so a tempestuous love triangle ensues. There’s a great deal of pain and suffering along the way, as many family members and friends fail to escape the violence. Eventually, all three become involved in a plan to smuggle a group of Armenian orphans to safety. In the end, romantic rivals are united by a common sense of loss.
Should you see it? Yes, it’s very well cast, and an emotionally stirring subject.—J.J.
Viewed at the AMC Esquire Theater
